Manipulation
by WaterLily95
Summary: Another satisfied grin stretched across his face. "I'm a distraction? Please, I'm just trying to spar with my best friend." Of course, Emily knows it's there's much more to his motives than that. Memily!


**Manipulation**

"Come on, Em. It'll be nice having a little time for swordplay."

The yellow ranger was caught by the enthusiasm in his voice. Somehow she wasn't too enthusiastic. She still remembered the incident with the bag of peas, which prevented her from freely sparring with him and him with her. She didn't think twice about hesitating. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

A short chuckle escaped a rather rambunctious green samurai. Impatience gleamed in his hazel hues as the rough breeze ruffled through his hair. "Of course I do," He breathed. "And this time, it'll be _my_ victory."

Emily raised her eyebrows. Of course the idea sounded pleasing to her, but as sweet and expressive as she was, she wasn't going to admit that. "You rarely want to train willingly, though."

"True…I mean, I know I have issues," Mike interjected. "But… it's been a while since we last sparred. You know…you and me..."

Emily felt her heart pounding. She never really felt this way. Why was Mike's struggle in finding the right words so amusing to her? It was like she actually _liked_ the way he was coming up with an excuse to spar with her. She could feel the angel Emily and devil Emily battling to contemplate on this feeling.

_Maybe he likes you._

Emily instantly shook her head. _He only sees me as a friend. I'm such a klutz._

_I don't know… See the way he looks at you?_

"You forger we spar together almost every sparring session." She pointed out, noticing that he was still waiting for her response. "And I always end up beating you…"

"Because I give you the chance," he defended, grinning as he realized her motive. "Not _this_ time."

"Oh." A smug smile played on her lips. Her eyelashes fluttered shyly. The drumbeat in her chest increased.

_See?_

She shook her head again._ No. That's not right. It's not right to think that way._

_What do _you_ know? I'm your conscience. Don't you wish he would see you as more than a friend? Don't you feel that emptiness when you know Kevin is staring at Mia? Think of how lucky Mia must be to have someone fall for her._

Emily didn't know how to answer herself._ Because she's pretty and smart and kind and-_

_That's not the point. Don't you like Mike?_

_Of course I like Mike. He's my best friend._

_I meant in a _like_ like way._

"_Don't_ you feel like sparring with me?" Mike winked, charging a wooden katana towards her and interrupting her thoughts.

She caught the blade, looking at him curiously as her conscience left her to think blankly.

"Notice I didn't ask if you _want_ to spar with me." He added with a grin stretching from ear to ear. "'Cause I know you want to."

Emily was feeling a little tickled by this playfulness in the air. Her cheeks grew warm and her smile widened. Again, it was one of those feelings she didn't quite get but understood perfectly at the same time. Her hair glistened in the sunlight and attempted to cascade over her crystal orbs, but she brushed it back effortlessly and got to her stance in amusement.

"I meant… you like training so…" he trailed off, embarrassed.

"I know what you mean." She said softly.

Mike eased into his stance and held out his blade. "Well?"

Emily smirked. Her own gesture seemed to shock her, but for some odd reason she even forgot the fact that the rangers were inside. And as effortlessly as she could, she chirped only three words: "As you wish."

Mike leaped through the air in the form of a perfected backflip, landing centimeters away from her in combat position. His fingers planted to the ground as swiftly as a predator would upon pouncing on his prey. His eyes, however, were so friendly that it was impossible for Emily to back down from the challenge. He was completely still for a minute, the natural surroundings in the dojo seeping through his mind. He beckoned her with a mischievous grin.

"Would you like the first move?"

Again her cheeks grew warm. "Sure."

_Of course you would. _Her conscience added.

_Shush!_

They started off slow, an entire moment dedicated to a wordless war of stares. He held out his blade, allowing her to draw the first move. With a leap backward, he lifted off of the wooden floor, back foot sliding across the ground once she eased into the dominant combat position. Her swing missed him by a fraction of a centimeter.

Mike withdrew a sharp breath as the blade missed him. He smiled, obviously satisfied. "Good try, Emily."

She chuckled innocently. "But that wasn't even my best one, Mike."

"Oh." It was his turn to blush. "So? It was still good."

Emily's concentrated glance shone thoughtfully through her energized expression. One of her eyebrows was arched in observing the next move Mike was to make. She leaned back as he lunged forward, taking advantage of the situation by sending his leg into a firm kick. Emily ducked, elaborately spiraling her way around the attempted blow until she was facing his back. Mike almost stumbled but caught his balance and cartwheeled against the opposite direction to keep up the spar session.

Emily could have frowned. Clearly he was letting her win. She knew her blows were never overachieving in nature as the other rangers' were. "Mike…"

"What, Em?" he said, faking innocence. "Tired already?"

Again she was flustered. She didn't know why she was smiling hopelessly and trying to be angry at the same time. "It's no fun if you let me win."

"But I'm not letting you win." _That_ was a lie.

He charged forward with another blow in mind until she dodged the aim with her wooden blade, confronting the chance of defeat. The two rangers heaved forward and backward, neither losing concentration as they continued to dive into the tension, or the first _sign_ of tension rather.

Mike and Emily leaped into the air in the form of multiple backflips, attempting to strike each other in the swiftest ways possible, but every time Emily swirled her katana and  
attempted to strike, she was caught by that playful glint in the green ranger's eyes. It was hard to confront him about this since he maintained his fake innocence to the level where Emily even doubted herself. She even had him surrounded by the natural settings, trying to seize the opportunity to attain victory over him, but he somehow blocked each of her strikes as if he was really defending himself. If that was the case, what was that playfulness then in his expression? Was he trying to…_distract_ her…?

"Mike! I can't concentrate!" she said, her giggles definitely not helping her sound serious. But even as she vocally and physically battled him, she was caught between alternating choices of trying to take over the victory and letting the spar continue on the same level without any significant progress. This was way too fun to be taken seriously.

"Em, I'm seriously not doing anything!" he laughed. Sure, that made _him_ look serious.

"I can tell you're trying to distract me." Emily said. Again she was shocked. Did she really mean for him to hear what she blurted out?

Another satisfied grin stretched across his face. "I'm a distraction? Please, I'm just trying to spar with my best friend."

Emily plunged before Mike, delivering blows unable to block. But the green ranger continued to wage through the intensive spar skillful moves and flexible motions. Time didn't even bother to rush by. In fact, there was no such thing as time on the sparring plane. All Emily could tell was that he was making this too easy for her. And she couldn't stand it. He was manipulating her techniques, wasn't he?

_Maybe he's just trying to get you to admit you like him too much._

_I don't see him that way!_ Emily argued with her mind. _Mike is just a friend. A goofy one, that is._

_We both know you can't lie to yourself._

Emily sighed. "Okay, Mike, I admit it. You're distracting me." She confessed breathlessly. "But I want to _really_ spar now."

Mike paused for a brief second and shook his head in amusement. "Hmm… In that case…Huh!"

By this time now that Mike was really going for the victory, their spar had reached its climax. Emily blocked him off easily again, but she could feel his efforts rising higher. Both rangers were enraptured in a rush of adrenaline as they continued to strike the other's blade. Still neither wanted victory. Emily glided left to right, and Mike insisted could only hesitate to deliver those very blows. They had insisted on letting the other claim the victory, but of course, that could never be possible.

Emily slipped out of his grip, but she didn't expect the following tumble written accordingly within the next few seconds. As she bent her ankle to try to balance herself, she gasped from the sudden loss of balance.

"Em!"

She could hear his voice and the sound of the blade dropping from his hands. She could feel her blade simultaneously hit the ground as well.

_Klutz, klutz, klutz! It's over!_

_No it's not! Keep going! _Her conscience encouraged.

_I can't!_

Emily squeezed her eyes shut, her breath stolen from the verge of her lips. However, she noticed how her body immediately paused and started to pulse from surprise. No… something _forced_ it to stop. Emily fluttered her eyes open, realizing she was only inches away from the ground. She squinted as the sunlight dawned over her delicate facial features. She met a pair of brilliant hazel hues concerned over her welfare.

"Sorry…I guess I overdid it, huh?" Mike said, helping her stand up. He brushed away one of her stubborn curls. "You okay?"

She nodded, swallowing hard and trying not to focus on the fact that his arms were still firmly wrapped around her. She really hoped her lips wouldn't betray her and smile in front of him.

_Not _so_ bad, is it? _Her conscience teased.

_Shush!_

"Serious, are you okay?" he asked again, his expression changing.

I'm okay, Mike. See?" She chirped, untangling herself from his grip and picking up her blade. "Don't fuss over me like Mia."

"That really didn't turn out cool." Mike breathed. "From now on, no more distractions."

"No, really…I had fun."

"Yeah right…" he muttered, making a face. It was clear his mood immediately changed when he blamed himself.

Emily shrugged as if she dismissed his point. "At least I had fun."

"At least you didn't _get hurt_." He corrected. "I can be such a…not-so-cool person sometimes…"

She didn't know how else to approach what she was about to say next. Part of it was intentional while the other part… just came from her innocent side. But what she knew she was about to say…she would mean it.

"We should…spar more often…"

Apparently, Mike didn't seem to get it. "No we shouldn't-"

But he was cut off by a pair of warm lips touching his left cheek. Even Emily was surprised with what she did. But it wasn't like neither was confessing. Mike closed his eyes and let the tingly sensation sink into his memory. He knew it would be quite a long while before she kissed his cheek again. A "friendship" kiss that is.

Emily pulled away, her face turning crimson. "_Seriously_, we should spar more often."


End file.
